Shloka 5
कर्णपर्व — द्विचक्रिकी युद्धपरिस्थिति: धृष्टद्युम्न- द्रौणि-संघर्षः तथा अर्जुन-रक्षणम्
Chapter 42
नीचस्य बलमेतावत् पारुष्यं यत्त्वमात्थ माम् | अशक्तो मद्गुणान् वक्तुं वल्गसे बहु दुर्मते,“तुमने मेरे प्रति जो कटु वचन कहा है, इतना ही नीच पुरुषका बल है। दुर्बुद्धे! तुम मेरे गुणोंका वर्णन करनेमें असमर्थ होकर बहुत-सी ऊटपटांग बातें बकते जा रहे हो
nīcasya balam etāvat pāruṣyaṁ yat tvam āttha mām | aśakto mad-guṇān vaktuṁ valgase bahu durmate ||
Wika ni Sañjaya: “Ito lamang ang lakas ng hamak—ang kalupitan ng pananalitang ibinato mo sa akin. Ikaw na salat ang isip, dahil hindi mo maipahayag ang aking mga kagalingan, patuloy kang dumadaldal ng maraming ligaw at walang kaugnayang salita.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns abusive speech as the only ‘strength’ of a petty person: when one lacks real merit or truthful praise, one resorts to harsh words and empty bluster. Ethical restraint in speech is implied as a mark of higher character.
In the tense exchanges of the Karṇa Parva, a speaker rebukes an opponent for insulting him. The rebuke frames the insult as evidence of the other’s low nature and inability to speak meaningfully about virtues, reducing his talk to boastful, irrelevant chatter.